Long regarded as a place where important conversations occur, Centre College remains committed to cultivating campus discussions that broaden the minds of its students. In this year’s annual Constitution Day address, “Our Human Constitution,” Benjamin Beaton ’03 discussed the Supreme Court of the United States and its connection to a liberal arts education. The convocation was held on Monday, Sept. 14.

Beaton has experience with the matters of the Supreme Court, having previously served as a judicial clerk for Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Before law school, Beaton worked in the offices of U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield in Washington, D.C., and Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher. He later worked as a judicial clerk for Judge A. Raymond Randolph of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and as a legal fellow in Kampala, Uganda, prior to taking his position in Justice Ginsburg’s office.

Beaton earned his B.A. in government, summa cum laude, from Centre where he was Phi Beta Kappa and a class valedictorian. He then went on to graduate from Columbia University School of Law, where he received highest honors and was an articles editor for the Columbia Law Review. He is now a lawyer with Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, D.C., where he handles appeals, administrative law challenges and civil litigation.